Police tag resthouse owner as cohort of slain ‘druglord’

A MAN who claims to be the owner of the rest house rented by the group of former police officer Owen Rosales surrendered to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) 7 last Monday night.

Troy dela Torre reportedly owns the house in Bien Unido town, where Rosales, a suspected drug lord, and his five cohorts were killed by policemen after a shootout that lasted two hours.

NBI 7 Director Max Salvador told Balitang Bisdak yesterday that dela Torre surrendered because he fears for his life. The bureau was still interrogating dela Torre as of yesterday.

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But in a text message sent to Sun.Star Cebu, Sr. Supt. Paul Labra, head of the Regional Intelligence Division (RID) 7, said that dela Torre is not the owner of the resthouse but a cohort of Rosales.

Labra, however, did not elaborate on the link of dela Torre and Rosales because he was in a meeting and could not be reached as of press time.

Last Sunday, the group of Owen Rosales, a former policeman, reportedly engaged in a shootout with police officers in Barangay Puerto San Pedro in Bien Unido during a follow-up operation on the ambush of Chief Insp. George Caña.

Caña, the police chief of Ubay, Bohol, was ambushed allegedly by Rosales’ group in Barangay Balintawak, Talibon last Saturday night.

During the shootout last Sunday morning, six were killed, including Rosales.

Camero was from Talisay City, Cebu while the four other fatalities were from Bohol.

Their four companions surrendered to the police. They are Roberto Olalo, 35 of Davao City; Paolo Avenido, 33, of Poblacion, Bien Unido; Orlando Garcia, 35, of Magsaysay, Talibon; and Joan Cajes, 18, of Poblacion, Trinidad town.

Yesterday, PRO 7 officer-in-charge Sr. Supt. Orlando Ualat directed the RID 7 to monitor and validate information they received regarding the alleged involvement of police officers and politicians in Bohol in the illegal drug trade.

He said they received information that there are policemen who are still active in service and even public officials who are allegedly behind the illegal drug trade in Bohol, but they still have to validate the information.

Ualat also said there was no overkill on the part of the policemen, adding that the suspects owned different kinds of firearms.

Ualat also advised the police in Bohol to be vigilant in case the cohorts of those arrested and killed get back at them.

“If dunay marecieve na death threat, dili sila mo kompyansa and should just take it seriously,” Ualat told reporters yesterday.

In a statement, Bien Unido Mayor Niño Rey Boniel said the incident should serve as a warning to those involved in the illegal drug trade.

He vowed to continue their campaign against illegal drugs.

He also commended the exemplary performance of the policemen behind the operation.

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